Untainted Souls
by DarkEcoOttsel
Summary: This is book one of a trilogy. This story explains Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed's horrible puphood and what it was like to be ruled under Scar. PG13 for language in later chapters. Better summary inside. COMPLETED!
1. Prologue

DarkEcoOttsel: News flash!! I changed my name back to DarkEcoOttsel! Sorry, this isn't the third story that has to do with Timon and Mira's kid. I know a lot of you guys wanted another story, but I told you I'm on a hyena craze. I've finally come up with an idea for a story. Hope you enjoy and review!

Summary: This is part one of a three part trilogy. This fic starts during Banzai, Shenzi and Ed's puphood and goes all the way up until the battle at Pride Rock. PG13 for language in later chapters. It's mostly angst and drama, but there's some romance and tragedy.

**Untainted Souls**

**By: DarkEcoOttsel**

Prologue

A new dawn in Africa. A new day to see, to hear, to smell, to do...to live! Life holds so much and time seems so short. But even as the sun begins across the endless skies, so on this morning does a new life begin its journey. A journey called living and finding a place in the Great Circle of Life.

A few years back, when Mufasa had just started his rein over the Pride Lands, the hyenas lived in peace with the lions. The hyenas ruled over the Outlands in the north while the lions ruled over the Pride Lands in the south. The Elephant Graveyard was like a border, separating the two lands.

The Outlands weren't always barren and dead. At one point they were just as green and full of life as the Pride Lands. Animals roamed about freely, there were fresh streams of pure water, and there was plenty of room for more hyenas.

Speaking of more hyenas, the pack that ruled the Outlands was the largest in the savanna and it continued to grow steadily. In fact, a hyena was born into the royal family on this very morning.

Jayla, sister of Kohatu, the alpha male, had just given birth to her son, which she named Banzai.

The alpha female, Skai (pronounced the same way as sky), was expecting a pup herself. She ruled over her pack with help from Kohatu. A few days from now she would have a daughter and name her Shenzi.

Now, everyone saw Banzai, Shenzi and Ed in the Lion King. The adult Banzai, Shenzi and Ed. But what about when they were younger? What kind of horrors did they go through when Scar took over? This story should explain that and what happened the entire time Simba was hanging out with Timon and Pumbaa in the oasis. This is part one of Banzai, Shenzi and Ed's life. This is their story.


	2. Chapter One

DarkEcoOttsel: I'm posting this up with the prologue. Hope you enjoy and review!

**Untainted Souls**

**By: DarkEcoOttsel**

Chapter One

Banzai woke up inside his home: an empty cave. His mom wasn't there.

The young hyena, only six weeks old, walked outside to sniff the crisp morning air. That's what he did every morning. He was only six weeks old and he was already bored with life.

He stared at the green lands he lived in as he walked around. The Outlands were cool and all, or for what he could see. His mom didn't allow him to go far so he hadn't seen all of the Outlands yet.

Banzai's thoughts were interrupted as a hyena ran past him.

"Hey!" Banzai shouted. "Where's everyone?"

"At the alpha's cave!" the hyena replied excitedly. "Skai just had a daughter!"

Banzai followed the hyena to the large cave where the alphas lived. There were a few hyenas in there, including his mom.

"Mom?" Banzai asked, moving towards the front.

"Banzai, come and see," his mom said softly.

Banzai walked up and saw Skai licking a newborn pup that was nestled in her arms.

"Her name is Shenzi," Kohatu smiled proudly.

Banzai stared at the small female and she stared back, blinking her large eyes. She raised a paw to smack him and Banzai raised his to block her. They ended up giving the other a high five. The two pups broke out in small smiles.

"She'll grow fast," Skai said. "I have a feeling you and Shenzi will be good friends."

"I'm sure Banzai wouldn't mind watching out for Shenzi when she gets older," Jayla smiled at her son.

"What?" Banzai asked, a look of horror crossing his face.

"That's a great idea," Kohatu said.

"Yeah," Skai agreed.

"Me watch out for her?" Banzai asked, still in shock. "But she's a girl and—"

"Your future alpha," his mom finished for him.

Banzai sighed in defeat. He nodded and walked out of the cave.

_Me, babysitting a soon-to-be alpha?_ Banzai thought. _If I screw up, the grownups will kill me! What am I gonna do?_

Banzai sat down on his favorite hill that overlooked most of the Outlands. It was his favorite place to go and just think. He watched the other hyenas move about, some hunting and some lounging about in the shade. Then he saw some run over a hill. The same hill he had never been aloud to go near. The same hill that hid the land that Banzai had never set foot on or seen for that matter. He had no idea what lay beyond that hill.

Banzai glanced around to see if anyone was watching. Then he got up and was about to sprint for the hill when a large paw came down in front of him, blocking his path.

"Where are you going, Banzai?" Kohatu asked with a grin.

"No where," Banzai lied with a similar grin. "What's up?"

"Just checking on you," Kohatu said.

Banzai grinned. Kohatu was more like a father to him than an uncle. Ever since Banzai's father died wshen he was just a week old, Kohatu was there acting as one.

"You can't fool me," Kohatu smirked. "You were going to run to the border."

Banzai's eyes lit up and he exclaimed, "The border? Cool! What does it separate?"

"You mean your mom didn't tell you yet?" Kohatu asked, a little surprised.

"I'm only six weeks old!"

"Oh, right. Well, sooner or later you need to know. Beyond the border is the Pride Lands."

"The Pride Lands?" Banzai asked, now very interested.

"They're ruled by the lions."

"Really? Well how come I never see any around here? Do they hate us or something?"

"No, we get along okay. We just stay on our own...side."

"Oh," Banzai said quietly. "Do any hyenas ever go over there?"

"A couple did once," Kohatu said, then in a darker voice, "and they never came back."

"W-what?!"

"Just kidding," Kohatu laughed. "I gotta get going. Stay out of trouble if you can help it."

Banzai grinned as Kohatu walked out. He looked back at the hill that he desperately wanted to run over. One day, sooner or later, he'd run over that hill and see the border and the Pride Lands.

_to be continued..._

DarkEcoOttsel: Please tell me what you think in your reviews! TTFN!


	3. Chapter Two

DarkEcoOttsel: Thanks for the reviews! They perk me up when I'm feeling down, especially yesterday. I tripped over a freakin trash bag and sprained my ankle. Curse my short attention span!

**Untainted Souls**

**By: DarkEcoOttsel**

Chapter Two

A few weeks later, Banzai was lying on the cool grass under a tree, trying to cool off. He was just about to doze off when someone nudged him. He grunted and rolled over, knowing very well who it was.

"Banzai."

Banzai opened both eyes and groaned as Shenzi's face came into focus.

"What is it, Shenzi?"

"I'm bored."

"Yeah, well I'm tired," Banzai yawned. "We played all day yesterday and I'm trying to recover."

Shenzi was silent for a minute before she sat down and began staring at Banzai.

Banzai glared at the young female and closed his eyes. He felt Shenzi's strong gaze burning through his eyelids. He sighed and sat up after a couple seconds.

"Alright...what do you wanna do?"

Shenzi's face lit up and she jumped up.

"Yay!" she giggled. "Let's play hide and go seek! You're it!"

"Okay," Banzai nodded as she ran off to go and hide. He fell back onto the grass. At least he would get thirty seconds of sleep.

After mentally counting to thirty, he got up and began looking for his best friend. After about fifteen minutes of searching, he began to panic. Where the heck was she?! He had searched everywhere...well, almost everywhere.

He turned to the big hill that didn't seem as big as it did a couple weeks ago. Now, as he stared at it, he realized he never told Shenzi not to go there. That's cause she never asked about it.

_Oh man!_ Banzai thought. _If she went over there...oh man! I gotta go get her before someone realizes she's gone!_

He bolted up the hill and stopped when he reached the top. He gasped loudly at what he saw: bones. Lots of elephant bones were scattered all over. Some were huge and others were microscopic. Banzai only tore his gaze away when he realized Shenzi was standing right next to him, also staring at the graveyard.

"Shenzi!" Banzai snapped after the shock wore off. "What are you doing here?! You're supposed to stay in the Outlands!"

"Cool," Shenzi murmured, not paying any attention to Banzai's rambling. She began moving towards the graveyard but Banzai stopped her.

"No, Shenzi—"

"Why?" Shenzi turned to stare at him. "Are you scared?"

Banzai hesitated but said quietly, "No, but—"

"Then come on!"

_to be continued..._

DarkEcoOttsel: Sorry the chapters are so short. Please review!


	4. Chapter Three

DarkEcoOttsel: I am so sorry for the long wait. I finally got a new computer (huzzah!) and it's taking me a while to get the chapters up. This chapter and the next will contain the tragedy parts. Please review if you want.

**Untainted Souls**

**By: DarkEcoOttsel**

Chapter Three

"This place is creepy," Shenzi muttered, staring at the large bones that towered over her and Banzai.

"Yeah...isn't it great?" Banzai asked with a grin and Shenzi smiled back.

They had only been walking around the graveyard for five minutes and they were already hooked on it.

"Hey, look at that," Shenzi stopped in front of a large elephant skull. It was the same one that two lion cubs were to stumble upon in the near future.

"I wonder if its brains are still in there," Shenzi snickered.

"Only one way to find out," Banzai said bravely, walking towards the skull.

Sudden laughter filled the air and the two pups screamed. Their horror soon turned to shock as a hyena pup about their age rolled out of the left eye socket. He fell to the ground, landing on his rear.

"What the...?" Shenzi muttered, walking up to Banzai.

The hyena got up and turned around to face the two. He looked kind of...stupid.

"Uh...hi," Banzai started. "I'm Banzai and this is my best friend, Shenzi."

The male only stared at them, his tongue sticking out of his mouth.

"Do you have a name?" Shenzi asked.

He just gave her a blank stare in response.

"Uhh...do you talk?" Banzai asked after a long pause.

Again, he just gave the two friends that stupid-looking stare. They began to get frustrated.

"Okay, since you won't talk, I guess we'll have to give you a name," Shenzi said. "How about Ed?"

"Yeah," Banzai smiled.

The hyena now dubbed Ed laughed hysterically and ran towards the two. He tripped over a rock and screeched to a halt in front of them. All three burst out laughing, rolling on the ground and clutching their stomachs.

"Man, you're funny," Banzai said once he had stop laughing. "Wanna be friends with us?"

Ed nodded rapidly and then began pointing at the elephant skull he had fallen out of.

"You want to show us something?" Banzai translated. "Okay."

Ed jumped back into the eye socket and Banzai jumped into the other one. Shenzi was stuck with the mouth opening.

"What are we looking at?" Shenzi asked.

"Shh!" Banzai hissed at her, looking through a small crack in the skull. "Find a peep hole in the back of the skull and look through it. You gotta see this!"

Shenzi rushed to the back of the skull but there were no holes or cracks to look through.

"I can't see," Shenzi pouted.

Banzai didn't hear her, he was too busy listening to the conversation his mom, aunt and uncle were having with a large lion with a black mane. There was a scar over the lion's left eye.

"Scar, we've had this conversation once before," Skai growled, "and the answer is still no."

"Please reconsider--" Scar started to say but Kohatu cut him off.

"No, Scar," Kohatu state. "We will not kill off your brother."

What? What kind of moron would wanna kill his brother? Banzai thought. I'd love a brother.

"But I'd let you into the Pride Lands when I became king--" Scar continued to beg.

"Bribery will get you no where," Jayla glared at him.

"What part of no don't you understand?" Skai asked icily. "Face it, Scar, you'll never be king of the Pride Lands."

Scar's eyes narrowed and he growled, "Maybe not, but I could become king of the Outlands."

"What?"

"There're just three hyenas standing in my way!" Scar snarled and leaped at the three unprepared hyenas.

_to be continued..._

DarkEcoOttsel: I once again apologize for being so late with the updates. That's why I'm posting two chapters in one day. Merry Christmas!


	5. Chapter Four

DarkEcoOttsel: Here's chapter four. Please enjoy!

**Untainted Souls**

**By: DarkEcoOttsel**

Chapter Four

Banzai gasped and stifled a scream as he watched Scar slash open the alpha's throats. He turned away just as he was about to kill his mother.

"What is it, Banzai?" Shenzi asked, trying to climb up next to him.

Banzai looked at her, horror quite visible in his large eyes.

"We need to get outta here--now!" Banzai ordered, jumping out of the eye socket, followed by Shenzi. "Shenzi, Ed, let's go."

"Why? What's going on?" Shenzi wanted to know.

"I'll tell you later," Banzai lied. "We need to get home now. Ed, you're coming, too."

Ed nodded, looking very freaked out, for he too had seen Scar kill the alphas.

The trio began sprinting towards the Outlands, running as fast as their tiny legs could move. When Ed started to lag behind, Banzai turned his head and shouted:

"Ed, come on--"

Banzai ran into something stiff. He grunted and fell back, only to have Shenzi and Ed collide with him. All three looked up and gasped.

"Well who do we have here?" Scar asked without emotion.

The trio remained silent, staring at the large lion.

"Spying on me, were you?" he asked with a sneer.

Banzai and Ed coward before the lion, knowing full well what he could do. Shenzi, who had not seen the massacre, only stared and blinked at the lion.

"Who are you three?" Scar asked.

Before Banzai could tell her not to answer, Shenzi replied:

"I'm Shenzi and these are my friends, Banzai and Ed."

"Shenzi, eh? You're the daughter of Skai and Kohatu, right?'

"Where's my mum and dad?" Shenzi demanded as she stood up.

"They went on a little...trip," Scar snickered.

"When will they be coming back?" Shenzi asked, totally oblivious to what Scar was getting at.

"Not for a long, long time," Scar answered with another snicker. "They left me in charge."

"Oh..." Shenzi looked down.

Scar smirked as he walked off towards the Outlands, leaving the three pups alone.

Banzai gave Shenzi a short friendly nuzzle, although he felt like crying for both of them.

"My mom and dad...they aren't coming back, are they?" Shenzi whispered, looking up at Banzai through tear-stained eyes.

Banzai's eyes filled with tears and he managed to choke out, "Nope."

The two hyenas began to cry on each other's shoulders. Ed looked saddened as he went over and hugged his sobbing friends.

As Banzai quietly sobbed, he told himself that they had to stick together. He would never leave Shenzi or Ed's side--especially Shenzi's. He knew she would never be the same after this. He felt a darkness growing in her heart that would never go away.

_to be continued..._

DarkEcoOttsel: Okay, tragedy part done and over with. Stay tuned for the next chapter. Leave a review if you like.


	6. Chapter Five

DarkEcoOttsel: Sorry for the late updates. I went to the beach two days ago and I got massive sunburn. Plus I almost drowned. Ah well. Here's the next chapter.

**Untainted Souls**

**By: DarkEcoOttsel**

Chapter Five

When the trio finally went back to the Outlands, they discovered that Scar was in the middle of telling the hyenas about their leader's demise.

"...Before I knew what was happening, the zebra began to stampede towards us. I scrambled out of the way and turned to help your alphas, but they weren't fast enough. Just before your brave leaders were killed in the stampede, I heard Skai shout, 'Scar, I leave my clan to you!'. And then, they were gone. As I turned, silently crying, I saw a horrible sight - even more horrible than seeing your alphas die - their pups were there. They had seen the whole thing."

The large crowd of hyenas gasped and turned to see Banzai, Shenzi and Ed. Banzai looked sad but Shenzi's face remained emotionless. Ed...well, you know how he looks most of the time.

Scar continued, "I've found out who caused the stampede: the lions at Pride Rock."

Several gasps and angry growls arose from the crowd.

"In fact, it was my own brother, Mufasa!" Scar cried angrily.

Now the whole pack was snarling and growling.

"Liar," Shenzi muttered her dark eyes narrowing. Banzai glanced at her, giving her a weird look.

"I, too, want revenge," Scar declared. "I have a plan, but I can't do it without you. Form an alliance with me and we shall rule over both Pride Lands and Outlands! Are you with me?"

The entire crowd cheered and applauded Scar and his lies.

"I can't listen to this crap anymore," Shenzi growled angrily.

"Me either," Banzai muttered. He noticed that it was getting dark. "Lets go to sleep. Maybe we'll wake up tomorrow and everything will be alright."

"Yeah, sure," Shenzi sighed sarcastically, but she followed Banzai and Ed to the cave where Banzai's mom used to sleep in.

Ed went right to sleep, snoring rather loudly. Shenzi settled down but didn't go to sleep. Banzai sat down beside her and looked hard at her. She glanced up and him.

"What?"

Banzai sighed and said, "Shenzi, when you were born, my mom told me that I had to watch out for ya."

"I can take care of myself."

"I know. But we're friends, right?"

"Of course," Shenzi raised her head up. "You and Ed are my only and best friends."

"Best friends stick together, right?"

"Duh."

"Then that's what we'll do," Banzai said. "Promise me that we'll be best friends forever and stick together 'till the end, okay?"

After a short pause, Shenzi cracked a small smile and nodded. "Okay, I promise."

Banzai smiled and lowered his head into his paws.

The trio slept soundly that night, not knowing of the horrors that awaited them in the morning.

_to be continued..._

DarkEcoOttsel: Another chapter down! Stupid sunburn!! Thanks for the reviews! Please leave more!


	7. Chapter Six

DarkEcoOttsel: I'm sugar high at the moment so please stand by....enjoy this chappie! Sooooooo sorry for the delay!!!

**Untainted Souls**

**By: DarkEcoOttsel**

Chapter Six

"Wake up, you worthless idiots!"

Banzai yelped as someone kicked him hard. Some wake up call.

Shenzi opened her eyes to see Scar standing over them, scowling.

"Get moving," he growled. "We're leaving in ten minutes."

"Where are we going?" Shenzi asked with a slight tone of annoyance.

"To the caves within the Elephant Graveyard," Scar replied icily.

"What?" Banzai asked once he recovered from the kick. "Why?"

"Its closer to the Pride Lands."

"What's wrong with the Outlands?" Shenzi asked.

"If things don't work out in the Pride Lands, I'll rule over the Outlands," Scar said, rolling his eyes.

"What?!" Banzai and Shenzi cried, waking Ed up, who had slept through it all.

"Don't seem so surprised. Like it or not, I'm going to be the leader of your pack. They trust me and are ready to jump off a cliff at my command."

"You lied to them," Shenzi growled. "What makes you think we won't tell them the truth?"

"For one thing, why would they listen to three pups?" Scar replied. "They'd probably think you were traumatized in seeing the death of your stupid parents."

"I hate to burst your bubble, Scar, but I didn't see my parents die," Shenzi stated. "I didn't even know until you told us."

"Yeah, I didn't let her see it," Banzai said.

"Two," Scar continued, ignoring Banzai and Shenzi, "I'd kill you."

Shenzi, Banzai and Ed silently gulped.

"Now, as I was saying," Scar said. "While we're in the graveyard, some lionesses who want me as king will be moving in."

The trio glanced outside to see a couple lionesses roaming about.

"Why are you telling us everything?" Banzai asked suddenly.

"Since you three know the truth about the alphas, you three will become my closest lackeys," Scar said. "Needless to say I won't be letting you out of my sight except on missions."

The trio gulped as Scar walked out.

"Ed, you don't have to stay if you don't want to," Banzai said sadly to his friend.

"Yeah, since you aren't part of the pack, you can still run away—"

Shenzi was cut off as Ed shook his head rapidly. Ed grabbed their left paws and put them on top of his.

After a brief moment of translation, Banzai nodded in agreement. "Right. Best friends stick together 'till the end."

"Yeah," Shenzi grinned, as did Ed.

Scar gave the command a few minutes later and soon the pack was on the move. The pack moved into the dark, disgusting caves within the graveyard and quickly discovered that the rest of their lives would be a living hell.

_to be continued..._

DarkEcoOttsel: I haven't been getting a lot of reviews lately. Thank you to those who did! TTFN!


	8. Chapter Seven

DarkEcoOttsel: I DID put this chapter up, but it was deleted for some stupid reason. Sorry for any confusion!!

**Untainted Souls**

**By: DarkEcoOttsel**

Chapter Seven

For the next year and a half, life was hell for the hyenas. They had practically no food and no water. The damned caves were so hot in the daytime, with the geysers blasting off all the time, yet it grew to be very cold at night due to the cold winds that blew through the caves. Most of the hyenas didn't mind, though. They were so hell bent on revenge that they didn't care about their living conditions.

Shenzi, Banzai and Ed grew up in each other's company, now in command of the pack when Scar wasn't around. Sure they thought about telling the pack the truth, but the knew Scar would kill them.

Shenzi had become the trio's leader, proving to be the smartest and at some times the bravest.

Banzai was the wisecracker. He'd act all tough but he still watched out for his friends and was pretty responsible.

Ed could always make them laugh even when they were in the worst of moods. He could be annoying, but he often reminded Banzai and Shenzi of their promise.

The three of them were dubbed the Troublesome Trio because of all the trouble they cause when Scar sends them out on suicide missions.

Scar kept to his word. Since the trio was quickly turning out to be capable of doing his dirty work, he took a liking to them. He told them most of his plans before he told the rest of the pack mainly because it would involve them doing something dangerous. Like chasing and killing two lion cubs in the middle of the Elephant Graveyard for example.

"I thought you said we'd be getting revenge on Mufasa," Shenzi told Scar. _For something he didn't do._

"Yeah, why are we going after stupid lion cubs?" Banzai grumbled.

"Because, numbskulls, one of the lion cubs is his son," Scar growled. "Get to the graveyard. Go!"

The trio yelped and ran out of the caves, heading towards the familiar elephant skull.

"Are we really gonna kill 'em?" Banzai asked Shenzi.

"Well, if we don't, Scar will kill us and if we do, Mufasa will kill us," Shenzi said quickly.

"So either way we're dead," Banzai sighed. "Shenzi, we can't keep living like this."

"I know," Shenzi muttered. "But Scar promised us food—"

"There's food in the Outlands!" Banzai practically screamed.

Ed nodded rapidly and grunted several times, indicating that he agreed with him.

Shenzi's face darkened and she looked hard at the two hyenas.

"Since you two bozos didn't bother to look, you better come with me."

Banzai and Ed, very confused, followed their leader and friend towards the huge hill within the Outlands that was just visible in the distance.

Banzai's thoughts were running wild. Not about the Outlands, but about Shenzi. To him, she had changed dramatically over the past year. She had taken on a punk-ish attitude. He and Ed for the most part had too, but she was worse. The lovable, caring Shenzi he knew just a year ago was gone; locked away deep within her. He wasn't sure if that Shenzi would ever be resurrected again.

Banzai's thoughts were shattered as they reached the top of the hill. They could see all of the Outlands...or what was left of them.

Everything was dead. The grass, trees, streams, animals...everything. The sky was clouded over. Lions roamed about, gnawing at bones and such. They had destroyed the Outlands.

"I...guess we have no choice but to take over the Pride Lands," Banzai muttered.

"Like we had a choice to begin with," Shenzi said with a sigh. "C'mon. Lets go kill some lion cubs. Maybe if we're lucky Scar will bring us something to eat."

The trio turned reluctantly and headed back towards the graveyard.


	9. Chapter Eight

DarkEcoOttsel: Thanks a bunch to those who reviewed...but I wanna know why the guy, Fat Jack, flamed me when he probably didn't even read the fic. I'm sorry, but that's just plain rude. When I get the chance, I'm gonna delete it. You can keep on flaming me, but they'll all get happily deleted by me while I laugh insanely. This message was for Fat Jack and any other flamers out there. Thank you for your time.

Oh, this chapter is sorta my version of what really happened. Read on to find out why. On with the fic!!

**Untainted Souls**

**By: DarkEcoOttsel**

Chapter Eight

A few minutes later, the trio came sprinting out of a cave, yelping.

"Dammit!" Shenzi growled as they slowed down. "Scar didn't tell us Mufasa would be around to save the brats!"

"Maybe he didn't know," Banzai muttered, rubbing his head. "Oww...curse him."

"Man, we're gonna be sore tomorrow," Shenzi said, ignoring the three stinging claw marks across her cheek.

Ed whined as he licked at a wound on his paw.

"We're gonna get even sorer when Scar finds out we didn't kill 'em," Banzai added.

"You're right."

The trio froze and slowly turned around to see a very ticked off Scar.

"Uhh...hiya, Scar," Banzai gulped and ducked as Scar swung a paw at him.

The hyenas scrambled back and huddled together.

"You morons!" Scar roared angrily. "How could you screw up a mission as easy as this?!"

"W-well, we didn't know Mufasa would be there to save the cub's scrawny asses," Shenzi glared at him.

"Yeah," Banzai said, backing her up. "I mean, what are we supposed to do? Kill Mufasa?"

"Why didn't you kill him back there?" Scar snarled. "You know as well as I do you could have killed him!"

"Um, well—"

"I don't wanna hear any of your excuses!" Scar snapped. "Any more screw ups and I won't take them as lightly. Get back to the caves! I need to think of another plan."

They wasted no time in scrambling back to the caves where they waited for Scar. He eventually showed up and told them his new plan. Now they had another thing to worry about screwing up.

"Great," Banzai muttered as he sat down in a corner of the cave. "We have to sneak into the Pride Lands—again—and start a stupid stampede."

"Another suicide mission," Shenzi sat down beside him. "When are we actually gonna take over the Pride Lands?"

"Well, if everything goes right and we pull off the mission tomorrow, it should be pretty soon," Banzai said.

"So...why don't we seem happy that we're gonna be living like kings?" Shenzi said slowly.

"Maybe 'cause we're gonna kill innocent animals and then take their land," Banzai muttered. "We're turning into Scar."

"Feh," Shenzi snorted. "All we need is to grow a mane and slash ourselves in the eye."

The trio snickered. A few more minutes later they were asleep, dreaming of the good old days. The days that would never return.


	10. Chapter Nine

DarkEcoOttsel: Argh! More of my chapters are getting messed up!! Stupid new computer!!! ****

**Untainted Souls**

**By: DarkEcoOttsel**

Chapter Nine 

The next day, three figures were seen walking across the sweltering Pride Lands towards the gorge.

"Man, I'm hungry," Banzai muttered.

"We all are," Shenzi grumbled. "When we take over the Pride Lands, we can stuff ourselves until we burst."

Ed grinned and laughed.

"There's the herd," Shenzi pointed out. "Let's get this over with."

Fifteen Minutes Later

Banzai, Shenzi and Ed watched the stampeding wildebeest run through the gorge. They watched in silence as Scar dropped Mufasa into the onslaught. Their expressions didn't change as Mufasa and Simba's screams echoed throughout the gorge.

The trio slid down into the gorge, choking on the airborne dust and dirt. They quickly found Scar at the foot of Mufasa's body. Scar snapped another order and they carried it out reluctantly, chasing young Simba away.

"You think he'll come back?" Banzai asked Shenzi on the long walk back.

"Who knows?" she replied. "If he does, he might kill Scar and us as well. Or Scar might kill him and then kill us for not killing him in the first place."

Banzai blinked, trying to register everything in his mind. He shook his head and said, "Man, you only look at the dark side, don't ya?"

"It's a dark world," Shenzi muttered icily. "Besides, what good could come outta that?"

"Well, maybe if we tell Simba our story, he'll let us live," Banzai smiled.

Shenzi gave him a look that said 'yeah, right'.

"Right," Banzai said after a pause, his smile fading. "Either way we're all gonna die."

The three friends returned to find an empty graveyard. Their clan's scent was headed towards Pride Rock.

"Let's go," Shenzi sighed as they turned around and headed towards the Pride Lands.

"Do you think if we ask Scar, he'll let us go?" Banzai asked after a moment of silence.

"No," Shenzi replied almost immediately. "He'd never let us go. Besides, I'd never leave my clan, even if they are brainwashed."

"Yeah," Banzai agreed. "Maybe we can bust him in front of our clan and the lions. Would that work?"

"Oh, like they would believe a trio of lying, thieving poachers like us," Shenzi snorted.

Ed started whining and pointing at Pride Rock. The trio looked up at the majestic rock and saw Scar claiming his right as king.

"Too late now," Banzai sighed, his ears drooping. "He's king and what he says goes." 

"Maybe he'll be a good king," Shenzi said suddenly, receiving two stunned looks from Banzai and Ed. A sour expression appeared on her face and she spat, "What the hell am I thinking?"

The trio found Scar afterwords.

"Did you kill him?" Scar asked.

"Yeah," Banzai and Shenzi replied, blocking Ed. They had learned a while ago that Ed couldn't lie.

"Good," Scar muttered. "You three will be sleeping on the cliff I used to sleep on before I was king. Consider it an honor."

"You're welcome," Shenzi muttered sarcastically. "Excuse us, oh mighty king, but we need to get some sleep. We had a big day of murdering innocent animals."

"Keep that attitude up and you'll be killed along with those 'innocent creatures'," Scar growled as they walked past him.

"Whatever," Shenzi rolled her eyes in response. She, Banzai and Ed settled down on the cliff where Scar told Simba about the Elephant Graveyard. They should consider it an honor since the rest of the hyenas were stuck sleeping on the land around Pride Rock.

Ed, as usual, went straight to sleep. Banzai and Shenzi staid up; talking.

"How do you think the lions are taking it?" Shenzi murmured to Banzai as she lay back against the grass a distance from the cliff.

"They probably hate it," Banzai lay down beside her. "But now they know how we feel."

"Mmm," Shenzi said, staring at the sky. Changing the subject, she said, "Woah, the sky's really clear out here."

"Yeah, it's really nice," Banzai agreed, staring at the starry, cloudless sky. He laughed and said, "Remember how we used to sneak out late at night when everyone was asleep? We would stare at the sky for hours."

"Yeah!" Shenzi grinned. "We would stare at it for so long, we memorized most of it!"

"Yeah," Banzai murmured, shutting his eyes. "I miss those days."

"Me too," Shenzi whispered, realizing that Banzai was asleep. "Me too...."


	11. Chapter Ten

DarkEcoOttsel: Everything's getting screwed up again, but I'm trying to fix it. If things aren't making sense, try re-reading some chapters. 

**Untainted Souls**

**By: DarkEcoOttsel **

Chapter Ten 

A few days passed and things were definitely not improving. The herds were leaving because more and more of the Pride Lands were dying each passing day. Day by day more of the Pride Lands died.

Shenzi, Banzai and Ed walked up to Scar one day, who was looking out over the Pride Lands.

"Hey, Scar," Shenzi shouted at him. "There're problems."

"What?" Scar snapped without turning around.

"Well, in case you haven't noticed, the Pride Lands are dying," Shenzi growled.

"You're destroying them just like you did to the Outlands!" Banzai cried angrily.

"You're blaming _me_?" Scar turned around, glaring daggers at them.

"Yeah!" Shenzi glared right back as anger boiled within her. "It's no wonder why your parents liked Mufasa better than you—"

Scar backhanded the hyena so hard she went skidding across the ground and into a nearby rock.

"Shenzi!" Banzai cried as he and Ed rushed to her side.

"Don't _ever_ mention my foolish brother's name in my presence!" Scar snarled.

Banzai and Ed helped Shenzi up, all three glaring death glares at the lion as they made their way down Pride Rock. They were totally unaware of the certain someone who had been watching the entire time.

Later that day Banzai brought Shenzi a small hunk of meat. She had been pretty scratched up by Scar and now she was recovering.

"Curse him to Hell!" Shenzi snapped, devouring the meat. "One of these days I'm just gonna freakin' kill him!"

"Save your energy," Banzai sat down in front of her. "You bet we're gonna kill the jackass...just not yet."

Shenzi sighed angrily. "Well, when we do, I call first hit."

"Gotcha," Banzai smiled.

"I can see it now: right as we're about to kill him, he'll start begging for mercy," Shenzi spat.

"'Please don't kill me, Shenzi!'" Banzai began playing the role of Scar.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't," Shenzi said, getting into her role as well.

"'I never meant to be an asshole and kill your parents along with Banzai's!'"

"Feh."

"'Really! Can you ever forgive me for taking over your clan, destroying your home and making your life hell?'"

"Never!" Shenzi shouted as she tackled Banzai and pinned him to the ground playfully. Their laughter stopped when they realized they weren't alone. They scrambled up when they saw Nala standing a few feet away.

"Uhh...Nala, right?" Shenzi said, breaking the awkward silence.

"Yeah, um, hi," Nala said, a little nervous.

"What do you want?" Banzai asked the almost full-grown lioness.

"Well, uh, I couldn't help overhearing your conversation," Nala said. "Is it true?"

"Is what true?" Shenzi asked, her sharp eyes burning through Nala's soft eyes.

"What you said about Scar," Nala answered. "Did he really kill your parents?"

"You mean our alphas?" Banzai rephrased. "Yep. Right in front of us, too."

"That's terrible!" Nala exclaimed.

"Yeah," Shenzi snorted. "Life's been terrible for us ever since Scar took over. You think you've got it bad."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Nala asked quietly, sitting down.

"Why would we wanna talk about it?" Banzai snapped.

"Talking helps," Nala replied simply.

Shenzi and Banzai glanced at each other before sighing in unison. Then they slowly began to tell her of their past and the horrors that plagued them for the past two years.

By the time they were done, it was dark out. Nala had paid close attention the whole time Banzai and Shenzi were talking.

"Wow," Nala said after they were done.

"Now you know," Shenzi muttered, staring at the ground. "I dunno why we told ya though."

"Now what?" Banzai asked. "You know all about our past. So what?"

"So...maybe we can help each other," Nala said slowly. "But you must tell me the truth."

"Truth?"

"Yes," Nala hesitated. "Did...did you kill Simba?"

Shenzi and Banzai exchanged glances before looking back at Nala.

"Look, honey, we may be on the evil side but it doesn't mean we're the bad guys," Shenzi said with a smile.

"You mean..." Nala trailed off, a smile on her face.

"Yeah, we let him go," Banzai grinned, but then it faded. "But we dunno if he's alive. He ran off towards the west."

"He's alive," Nala said with another smile. "He's a survivor."

"Well, if he did survive, I doubt he's coming back," Shenzi said.

"I'll go find him," Nala stood up.

"But..."

"Do you wanna get rid of Scar or not?"

"Yeah, but—"

"Then let me go," Nala looked hard at them.

The two hyenas sighed and said together, "Then let us help you."


	12. Chapter Eleven

DarkEcoOttsel: Here's chapter eleven. Good news: the next chapter is the last! Huzzah! Read on!

**Untainted Souls **

**By: DarkEcoOttsel **

Chapter Eleven 

That night when all the Pridelanders were asleep, Banzai, Shenzi, Ed, who had been informed of their plan, and Nala snuck out and crept quietly towards the west.

Ed started laughing for some unknown reason.

"Would you shut up?" Shenzi snapped angrily as she led them through the tall yet dead grass.

Banzai slapped Ed and muttered, "If Scar finds out about this, we're all gonna be skinned alive."

"Not if Simba gets here," Nala said determinedly. "He'll save us."

"You're so optimistic," Shenzi said to her. "And you mean he'll save you and kill us."

"You need to look at the bright side," Nala told her.

"We learned long ago that there was no bright side to look at," Banzai said quietly.

"There's gotta be something you look forward to," Nala said.

"You mean besides killing Scar?" Banzai smirked. "Yeah, there is something."

"What is it?" Nala asked quietly.

All three hyenas looked up at her, sincerity visible in their eyes. Finally, Shenzi said:

"Our freedom."

Nala was taken aback at this and a look of surprise appeared on her face.

Suddenly a loud, angry roar rang out over the Pride Lands, causing the four animals to freeze.

"Oh crap," Banzai's got large with horror.

"Nala, get movin'!" Shenzi turned to the lioness. "Go find Simba and tell him to get his ass back here ASAP!"

"But what about—"

"We'll cover for ya!" Banzai said quickly. "But you owe us!"

"Will you be okay?" Nala asked, backing away.

"We can take care of ourselves!" Shenzi replied. "Get going before I snap your legs off!"

Nala turned and started running like hell, but not before stealing one last glance at the trio.

Another roar rang out, this time even louder and nearer.

"Scar's coming," Banzai muttered, his eyes still wide.

"He can't kill us, he needs us," Shenzi said quickly, although she was scared. There's no where they could run. Now they'd have to face Scar's wrath.

"Yeah, but he can beat the crap outta us," Banzai gulped.

Ed let out a long whine of panic as Scar came into view followed by some hyenas.

"Where have you three been?" Scar hissed at them, causing them to invisibly shiver.

"Nowhere, we're not even out," Banzai said quickly.

"Oh, good," Scar muttered. "Then I guess you wouldn't mind helping me look for a certain lioness who's run off. Seen her?"

"And who is the her that we should have seen?" Shenzi muttered nervously.

"Nala."

"Uh, nope," Banzai and Shenzi said together. "Right, Ed?"

Ed nodded rapidly, much to the invisible relief of his friends.

"So, we'll just be going," Shenzi said as the trio began to walk around Scar. Scar's paw shot out and wrapped around Ed's neck. The hyena let out a startled yipe as he tried to breathe.

Scar, fed up with their games, snarled, "You were seen with Nala earlier today. Where is she?!" He spoke slowly, his claws drawing small, crimson droplets of blood to seep out of Ed's neck.

"You wanna know the full story? Fine!" Shenzi snapped. "Yeah, we talked with Nala. So what?"

"She told us she wanted to kill herself and we told her we wanted to watch," Banzai said. "That's why we followed her out here but instead of killing herself, she ran off."

"And you didn't bother to catch her?!"

"We were caught off guard," Shenzi said.

Scar growled and released Ed and turned with the other hyenas that came with him. He started back towards Pride Rock, but not before kicking poor Ed harshly.

"Nala and Simba better get back here soon," Banzai muttered as he and Shenzi helped Ed up. "I don't think we're gonna last much longer."


	13. Chapter Twelve

DarkEcoOttsel: Okay, it's the final chapter here! Don't worry, there's going to be a sequel to this story. I had a dream a few days ago that gave me an idea for a fourth story after the third! I'm not sure if I'm going to make a fourth one. Anyway, on with the last chapter! 

**Untainted Souls**

**By: DarkEcoOttsel**

Chapter Twelve 

As the days went by, Banzai, Shenzi and Ed eagerly awaited Nala's return with Simba. After a week, their hope turned to disappointment.

"She ain't coming back, is she?" Banzai said as he, Shenzi and Ed ran out of Scar's cave.

"Not any time soon," Shenzi sighed as she and Banzai climbed to the top of Pride Rock while Ed returned to their ledge to sleep.

Banzai looked directly at her and said, "Oh, thanks for saving my ass back there."

"Yeah, well, I knew what would happen if you said Mufasa in front of Scar," Shenzi said casually. "You owe me big."

"Right," Banzai agreed. His stomach rumbled loudly. "Man, what I'd do for a hunk of meat!"

"We already talked to Scar about food," Shenzi said as they reached the top of Pride Rock. They sat down and stared at the distance.

"We could try and ask him about getting our freedom," Banzai suggested.

"Banzai, he's never gonna let us go," Shenzi said in a tone harsher than she wanted. She said in a softer tone, "We should just give up."

"Don't ever give up, Shenzi," Banzai said quietly to her. "We just gotta wait for the right moment to escape or kill Scar. Whichever comes first."

Shenzi lowered her head, quietly thinking.

Banzai stared up at the gray sky and winced as lightning flashed and rain began to pour.

"Let's get outta here," Banzai said to Shenzi and they quickly ran back to their 'home' completely soaked even though the rainstorm only lasted a minute.

Shenzi shook the rain from her fur and settled down against the wall. She silently shivered and closed her eyes.

Banzai hesitated and looked around to make sure no one was watching. Then he gingerly lay down beside her, his back touching hers.

Shenzi opened her eyes and raised her head up to see Banzai. He was asleep; his chest moving steadily up and down.

She lowered her head back down into her paws and closed her eyes, a small smile nearly invisible on her lips.

"_SARABI!!"_

All three hyenas shot up as Scar's voice echoed throughout the Pride Lands.

"Uh oh," Shenzi muttered. "Let's go see what's up."

The trio spotted Scar on Pride Rock and quickly snuck up onto a small cliff jutting out right above him to get a better view. They saw Sarabi walking up towards Scar, hyenas growling at her.

"They're gonna regret that later," Banzai whispered to his friends as they continued to watch the events unfold. More hyenas gather on the cliffs above and next to the trio's. Lightning flashed overhead.

Shenzi, Banzai and Ed winced as Scar backhanded Sarabi for mentioning Mufasa. A sudden roar rang out that made everyone jump.

"Oh, my God—" Shenzi cut herself off with a gasp.

"It's..." Banzai's jaw dropped.

Ed's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates and he let out a short grunt that only meant one thing:

"Simba."

The entire pack watched as Simba ran up to Sarabi, speaking with her and nuzzling her.

"Simba? Simba...." Scar smirked. "So nice to see you...alive." He glared up at Shenzi, Banzai and Ed, who gulped and backed away.

"That's it. We're dead!" Banzai muttered. "We gotta run—"

"No," Shenzi cut him off. "It's now or never. I've got a plan. Tonight, we're gonna kill Scar with the help of our clan. Tonight, we get our well-deserved revenge."

**END **

DarkEcoOttsel: It's not over yet! Stay tuned for the next story, Untainted Souls 2: Confessions with a Bloody Paw. I wanna thank everyone who stuck with me up until today, including:

OttseloftheAges, jla2snoopy, AmberCab1, BeeKay84, Dory's human replica, kaithehedgehog, fangsire, ClearGreenWater, xoticlightning, Kitty the Wandering Wood Nymph, DX, Mlle. Dinkly, and anyone else who just plain read my story! It's nice to know that my work is appreciated.

Until next time, TTFN!


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